By: Sandy Eller The world of kosher took on a new vibe at the two day JFood kosher food expo, a two day event where favorites such as ice cream and rugelach shared space with unexpected items like dandelion yogurt and robotically-spun cotton candy. 6,700 attendees flocked to JFood, a Compass Conferences event held at Edison’s New Jersey Expo Center on June 13th and 14th and featured approximately 200 booths representing more than 500 brands. Day one of the show was a business-to-business event geared to supermarkets, restaurants, caterers, schools and camps, while the second half of the event was consumer-focused and open to the general public.  The two day format was a win-win for everyone said Shmiel Stern, CEO of The Compass Crew. “In order to have a successful trade show, you need a day two,” Stern told Yeshiva World News. “You want regular consumers to have a day, because people love to come to food shows, so if they know that day two will be influencers and fun, they’re not interested in coming on day one, and day one stays pure trade.” While JFood’s exhibitors were clearly interested in writing orders, Stern noted that approximately 25 to 30 percent also demonstrated a significant interest in being able to interface directly with consumers.  Simply Gourmet’s Rivky Kleiman had a full range of her “recipe in a bottle” spice blends on sale at the show, and reported that while each day of JFood had a distinct flavor, she was busy on both days of the show.  Esther Abraham of Skinny Coated, whose nutritionist-approved gourmet almonds were a hit with attendees, also gave the new format her stamp of approval. “I’m focusing on sales now,” said Abraham on day one of JFood.  “You can’t focus on sales when consumers come, although I want people to come and try my product so that they will be able to grab it off the shelf in the grocery.” According to Stern, the idea for the expo, as well as its format, was based on feedback from members of the food industry, with the June date chosen based on the venue’s availability. Stern plans to continue following the lead of those in the food business to decide on the timing and particulars of future shows. The tone of the expo was further colored by segments that were tailored to the day’s crowd.  In addition to a supermarket panel and a session on cyber protection, the first day’s program provided an opportunity for attendees to have one-on-one meetings with representatives of Stop & Shop supermarkets.  A celebratory segment honored the show’s unsung heroes, and paid tribute to Kosherfest founder Menachem Lubinsky, who was presented with a plaque bearing the words, “Under your lead partnerships were forged and the kosher world flourished.”  The second day’s program featured well known personalities Tanya Rosen, Naomi Nachman, Kosher Guru, Shloime Zionce, Lazer Cohen and Yossi Weisz, and balanced a focus on trends and travel with cooking demos and wine tasting. Attending the show on day one, Lubinsky took in the energetic mood and looked on proudly at the many booths, clearly happy to see the model he created thriving.  Even as Kosherfest announced its retirement two weeks ago, Lubinsky was hailed as the patriarch of the kosher food show. “It’s […]
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